This Gray Catbird has been making an appearance lately, but he certainly hasn’t been relaxed! Every time I’ve seen him so far he’s been in that “fight or flight” stance, which I’m pretty sure we can blame on the resident Mockingbirds – his not so friendly family members!

Usually, the Catbirds come for the fresh water, but occasionally they (like almost every other backyard bird) help themselves to a bit of Bark Butter.

Some find these fellows rather dull in their appearance, but I think they look elegant – as if they are all decked on in a charcoal tux. And besides, if you were to get a peek at their velvety red undergarments you would surely join me in finding them fancy.

These birds are the type that you usually hear their presence long before you see them; their call, a cross between a cat’s meow and a baby’s cry, is quite distinctive. Still, I guess they don’t want to be totally predictable, as they also do a mighty fine imitation of a croaking frog.

Although the Catbirds don’t show up on a daily basis, I always enjoy their presence when they do decide to stop by.

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About kathydoremus

Wife, mother, daughter, and friend.
One who dabbles in writing, thinks in rhyme, and
is utterly unable to escape the allure of
alliteration:)
Amateur nature photographer.
A backyard bird watcher, a hiker of non-strenuous
trails to waterfalls, and a fan of Atlanta sports teams.
Driver of an orange Jeep Renegade who goes by the name of Earl.
One who is nourished by silence, solitude, and a good cup of coffee.
A lover of God’s Word and the riches that are hidden there.
An extremely ordinary jar of clay who longs to see and be satisfied by the glory of God, and to somehow display that in my everyday life.

They are regulars in our backyard, arriving first week of May, departing first week of Oct. I know this because of their noisy meowing & caterwauling early & late in the day from the depths of our thickest bushes & dark interior of our bamboo curtain. I hear them as soon as they return, & notice the silence when they have gone. Last year a catbird built her nest in the visible top of a holly bush by our front porch. She laid 3 beautiful turquoise eggs & hatched 3 wide open beak pink & grey downy babies. They only lived 3 days before they were snatched by the beady-eyed crows who easily spotted them from the overarching branches of our old sycamore. I hope this year she builds down in the deeper, darker inside of her chosen bush. She has not returned to the crime scene.

We have a few in my neighborhood. They are actually my favorite ‘songbird’. I really enjoy the odd sounds they make at times. Ours are usually a shade lighter(regional variance?)
The catbird, like the mockingbirds seem to stick around and ‘yell’ when we get the hawks out for the evening stroll/flight.